Today is National PrepareAthon Day and the last day of National Preparedness Month, but remember that every day is a good day to prepare

Danbury, Connecticut - The City of Danbury's Commission for Persons with disAbilities took part in recognizing National Preparedness Month throughout September. Today, Septemeber 30, we are pleased to celebrate and recognize the importance of National PrepareAthon Day. "National PrepareAthon! Day is a national call to action for individuals and organizations to take important steps to prepare for the unexpected," said John Gentile, Chairman. "Preparing makes sense for people with disAbilities and others with access and functional needs."

This year's National Preparedness Month theme is "Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare." Visit ready.gov to find emergency preparedness resources, including many forpeople with disAbilities. Be sure to check out a helpful video for people with disAbilities and other access and functional needs. And be sure you're signed up to receive alerts from the City of Danbury - click here.

Inventory what you use every day to live independently. Identify the essential things that you will need to be able to survive for 3 to 5 days or longer, if people cannot get to you.

Stock these custom essentials in your kit. For example, your kit may contain items such as durable medical equipment, assistive technology, food for special diets, prescription medicines, diabetic supplies, hearing aids and batteries, a TTY, manual wheelchair, and supplies for a service animal.

Tips for People With DisAbilities and Other Access and Functional NeedsOne of the biggest challenges to your safety and access to information is loss of electrical power. You should plan alternate ways to charge your communication and assistive technology devices before disaster strikes. If you have a disability or an access and functional need, you may need to take additional steps to prepare for emergencies.

Call your power company before rolling blackouts occur if you use a battery-operated wheelchair, life-support system or other power-dependent equipment. Many utility companies keep a list and map of the locations of power-dependent customers in case of an emergency. Ask them what alternatives are available in your area. Contact the customer service department of your local utility company(ies) to learn if this service is available in your community.

Have an extra battery if you use a motorized wheelchair or scooter. A car battery also can be used with a wheelchair but will not last as long as a wheelchair's deep-cycle battery. If available, have a lightweight manual wheelchair for backup.

Have a talking or Braille clock or large-print timepiece with extra batteries if you are blind or have a visual disability.

Consider getting a small portable battery-operated television set if you are deaf or have a hearing loss. Emergency broadcasts may give information in American Sign Language (ASL) or open captioning.

Have other suggestions about how to be prepared? Let us know on our Facebook page!

We work to put the "A" in ability - the Commission has many goals including focusing on the Abilities of those with disAbilties. The Commission was established to advise the Mayor and the Common Council of the needs of persons with disAbilities within the community with relation to housing, economics, employment, transportation, health, recreation and other matters. Meetings are held at City Hall, on the 3rd floor, at 6:30pm on the second Tuesday of the month. There are no meetings held in July and August.

City of Danbury Code of OrdinancesSec. 2-56.13. Commission for persons with disabilities--Created, purpose.(a) There is hereby created and established a commission to be known as the Danbury Commission for Persons with Disabilities. The commission shall at its primary purpose advise the mayor and the common council of the needs of people with disabilities within the community with relation to housing, employment, transportation, economics, health, recreation and other relevant matters. The commission shall, in addition, recommend to the mayor and the common council ways in which programs and services offered by the City of Danbury may be made more accessible to people with disabilities and in which obstacles hindering employment and enjoyment of programs and services may be eliminated.(b) The commission shall also serve as a compliance committee for the purposes of hearing grievances and complaints brought by persons pursuant to the Americans With Disabilities Act. The committee shall hold hearings and render decisions regarding participation in and access to public facilities, services, activities and functions by persons with disabilities in accordance with such procedures and regulations as may be established pursuant to the Americans With Disabilities Act.(Ord. No. 291, 12-7-82; Ord. No. 387, 4-3-90; Ord. No. 518, 10-1-96) Cross references: Commission on equal rights and opportunities,§ 2-54; handicapped parking,§ 19-35.